Veteran city councillor Bill Clement dies

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 3/5/2010 (3308 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The gregarious politician known as the "Mayor of Charleswood" died on Monday after a battle with cancer.

Charleswood-Tuxedo Coun. Bill Clement, who has been undergoing treatment for lymphoma, died from complications of his illness today, Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz announced in a statement.

"It is with great sadness and deep sorrow that I am to inform all Winnipeggers of the passing of Charleswood-Tuxedo city councillor Bill Clement," Katz said via e-mail. "Bill ultimately lost a hard-fought battle with cancer. We will miss Bill's passion, dedication and knowledge who as a councillor always represented the citizens of Charleswood -Tuxedo and Winnipeg with integrity and wisdom. On behalf of my colleagues on council, we pray for his family during this difficult time. Funeral details will follow."

Clement had battled cancer before and beaten it. But his lymphoma returned in 2009.

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Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/5/2010 (3308 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The gregarious politician known as the "Mayor of Charleswood" died on Monday after a battle with cancer.

Charleswood-Tuxedo Coun. Bill Clement, who has been undergoing treatment for lymphoma, died from complications of his illness today, Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz announced in a statement.

Bill Clement

"It is with great sadness and deep sorrow that I am to inform all Winnipeggers of the passing of Charleswood-Tuxedo city councillor Bill Clement," Katz said via e-mail. "Bill ultimately lost a hard-fought battle with cancer. We will miss Bill's passion, dedication and knowledge who as a councillor always represented the citizens of Charleswood -Tuxedo and Winnipeg with integrity and wisdom. On behalf of my colleagues on council, we pray for his family during this difficult time. Funeral details will follow."

Clement had battled cancer before and beaten it. But his lymphoma returned in 2009.

In a phone conversation two weeks ago, he said he was looking forward to running for re-election this fall. He recently visited Europe and last visited council last week.

Several members of council said late last week he was battling pneumonia.

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Clement, 61, represented Charleswood since 1983 and was among the most influential members of city council. He sat on executive policy committee during the Katz administration and also served key roles in the Glen Murray and Susan Thompson administrations. In recent years, he served as a public works chairman and finance chairman and was respected for his encyclopedic knowledge of civic affairs.

Although a card-carrying Progressive Conservative, Clement was no ideologue. In recent years, he would remark that his 1980s self would be shocked to learn he was a proud supporter of funding for skateboard parks and bike trails.

He was also extremely proud of racking up the lowest expenses of all city councillors. He was unique among councillors in that he did not employ an executive assistant.

He also ran a family pool business called Aqua Pleasure. He was survived by his wife Debbie and his children. He would have been 62 in June.

Clement is the second city councillor to die from cancer while in office during the current council term.

Former River Heights-Fort Garry Coun. Brenda Leipsic died of lung cancer in 2008.

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